Adams Garden

08/29/2026

While cleaning up some branches from the most recent storm I noticed that some of the debris was moving. On closer examination I saw it was the native Carolina mantid. Judging by the very short wings this probably a flightless female. A couple of years ago I came across an egg case for this species, but this is the first time that I’ve seen an adult.

08/29/2026

Today I saw this orange phase of a spicebush swallowtail caterpillar. This is the time when it stops feeding and looks for a place to form a chrysalis, probably in the leaf litter. It is only in this form for a short period of time. (Southern Washington County, MD)

08/26/2026

While pulling stiltgrass yesterday I got an itchy bite from something. I remembered that touch-me-not (Impatiens capenssis) relieves poison ivy itching, but I don’t have any of that nearby. So I tried using clear w**d (Pilea pumila) which has juicy leaves and no ill effects that I knew of. It worked quite well in relieving the redness and itching. Clear w**d is a non-stinging member of the nettle family. That said, don’t rub unknown plants on your skin.

07/08/2026

Can’t believe I nearly missed seeing these butterfly w**d flowers blooming in the buffer zone around the veggie garden. Purple wild bergamot is in the background.

06/28/2026

As we approach fireworks season I look around and see a number of native perennials that bursting out in bloom.

06/25/2026

Wavyleaf Basketgrass is a relatively recent invader in the Mid-Atlantic. In this blog post I describe what it looks like and how to get rid of it. While we may not be able to eliminate it we can help limit its spread.

Wavyleaf basket grass, Oplismenus undulatifolius , is a relatively recent invader in the mid-Atlantic region of North America. It was first...

05/26/2026

Did a ‘Chelsea Chop’ today as the perennials have had a growth with the recent rain. This process is when perennials are cut back by a third to a half in mid-spring to produce more compact plants with more blooms. I focused on creating space around newer shrubs and unique plants. I let the cut pieces fall in place since the beds are thickly planted.

04/30/2026

While pulling garlic mustard today in southern Washington County I noticed several plants that had garlic mustard aphids, Lipaphis alliariae, on them. I first saw these 3 years ago, but didn’t see any last year. It’s interesting that one plant is totally infested while nearby ones are untouched. I left the infested plants in place while I pulled all the healthy plants.

04/20/2026

As I was clearing Vinca minor (right) to make way for a new native planting I found some winter creeper (left) mixed in. Side by side you can see the differences. Winter creeper has darker leaves with well defined veins and the leaf edges are finely toothed.
Both are invasive species, winter creeper also has a tendency to climb and choke trees.